祐

yòu
verb #16,380

Meanings

  1. 1 to bless (divine protection)
  2. 2 to protect (by heaven)

Examples

HSK 5
Yuàn shàngtiān bǎo yòu nǐ píng'ān.
May heaven bless and protect you.
HSK 5
Tiān yòu Zhōnghuá.
Heaven protects China.

Tips

usage
祐 and 佑 are variant characters with the same meaning and pronunciation. 保佑 is more commonly written with 佑, but 祐 (with the 示 radical, meaning 'spirit/deity') is the older form.

Components

radical
礻 shì
altar; spirit (radical form of 示)
Altar-on-the-left radical - the side-form of 示, originally a pictograph of a stone altar. Heads every character connected to ritual and divine action (神 god, 福 blessing, 祈 pray, 祝 wish, 祭 sacrifice). Locks 祐 to the realm of heavenly aid: divine blessing channelled through ritual rather than human help.
phonetic
右 yòu
right; to assist
Right 右 supplies sound and meaning. Sound: yòu = yòu, identical reading. Meaning: 右 originally pictured a hand offering help (early sense 'to assist,' preserved in 佑, the human variant of 祐). With the altar radical the assistance becomes divine - heaven's hand reaching down. 祐 and 佑 are essentially the same word, one altar-side, one person-side.

No stroke data for 祐; the glyph shown is your device font, so component strokes can't be highlighted.

Stroke Order

祐 yòu